Life With a Profiler
by SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: A continuation of "Little Moments" and "Saying Goodbye", this is "Life with a Profiler" which will walk us through Spencer's first year living with Derek. You need to read the other two first to understand this. AU!
1. New Places and New Faces

_AN: So I couldn't quite figure out how I wanted to do this. A series of one-shots chronicling the important parts of Spencer's first year with Derek? A full, multi-chapter story? In the end, I decided to do a little bit of both. What started out as a few one-shots and random scenes that I've thought of has combined into this. It's a sort of multi-chapter story with, well, we'll call them 'themed chapters'. You'll see what I mean as you go on. Some are going to be short, some long, some 'themes' may even take a couple chapters. I promise it's not as confusing as it sounds. It's all going to go in order, just like a regular chapter fic. :)_

_If you have any chapter themes that you'd like to see, please PM me or message me via email/Skype and let me know what you'd like to see!_

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><p>"New Places and New Faces"<p>

Five hours on a plane plus all the time spent working through the airports and Derek Morgan was most definitely ready to be home. He'd forgotten just what it was like to fly somewhere without the use of the BAU jet. There was a low grade headache building in his temples that he had a feeling was connected to the knot in his neck and the terrors three rows back on the plane that had felt the need to sing almost nonstop through the flight. Letting kids be kids was one thing. Derek could tolerate a little noise. But five hours' worth of singing? Enough was enough.

He snuck a glance at his traveling companion while they made their way through the terminal. Spencer showed no signs of ill wear from the flight. He wasn't talking, but then again he hadn't really said much since they'd left his mother and Derek hadn't wanted to push it. He wasn't heartless. He knew just how much Spencer was giving up and walking away from today. It couldn't be easy to leave behind the only life you've known, leave behind your own mother, and travel all the way across the country with someone you'd only met a few days ago. Besides, he'd probably be a little quiet too if he were Spencer. Things hadn't exactly gone well when they'd loaded onto the plane in Vegas. It wouldn't have been so bad if the person in airport security hadn't made Spencer take his sunglasses off.

Derek knew that mutants faced prejudice. He could even understand it more than most, having encountered prejudice for his skin in countless places. Even so, the reaction of the security guard had stunned Derek. He'd taken a full step back at the sight of Spencer's eyes and then he'd actually laid his hand on the butt of his weapon. His _weapon_! Like this scrawny little kid in the too-big clothes was suddenly going to start attacking random people in the airport. It had taken some furious words and actually shoving his credentials at the man before Derek could convince him that Spencer was safe. Even then, he got the impression that the guard assumed Spencer was there in Derek's custody in an official capacity, not a personal one. To make matters worse, Spencer didn't even act the least bit bothered. In fact, he treated it like it was normal. Like it was something he encountered all the time. That gave Derek a clue that maybe what he understood about mutant prejudice was really not that much at all.

That had really been the start of Spencer's extreme silence. Most questions since then had been answered with a shrug or met with silence. By the time they got on the plane, Derek had gotten the hint and he'd left his charge alone to whatever his thoughts were. Spencer hadn't wasted any time once he was in his seat. He'd compacted his already small body down even smaller into the seat, knees up to his chest and arms around his waist, and for all appearances he'd gone to sleep. Derek wasn't quite sure if he'd actually slept or if he'd been faking it. How anyone could sleep with the noise going on was beyond him. Plus, there had been a certain tension in Spencer's body. That didn't necessarily mean he was awake, though. It could've just been the tense pose of someone who was used to sleeping in rough places and had learned to sleep lightly and wake easily. That was a survival skill one would need on the streets.

A voice in the crowd drew Derek from his thoughts and he was already smiling before he even found the source. It took just a moment to spot her. Penelope Garcia sort of stood out wherever she went. She was definitely noticeable now as she waved at him and smiled brightly over near the front doors. The woman was dressed as cheerfully as she always was, in a white and yellow dress with a blue sweater over it and a blue and yellow flower with lace around it pinned into her blond hair, and all the matching jewelry to go with it, of course. He'd called to ask her if she wouldn't mind picking them up from the airport and taking them home. The idea of taking a cab hadn't been appealing.

"Baby girl!" he called out when he got close.

She maneuvered her way around people and hurried over to them. "Oh, look at you! Aren't you just a sight for sore eyes?" As usual, she met him with a warm hug, looking so happy to see him, and then she turned to Spencer with an equally bright smile that was full of warmth and welcome and Derek was reminded yet again why this woman was one of his best friends. She didn't reach out to hug Spencer, though he could see how hard she resisted, but she did beam at him so brightly he was lucky he wasn't blinded. "And you! I've heard so much about you I feel like I already kind of know you. You're even cuter than your pictures! I'm Penelope Garcia and I'm happy to meet you."

It was comical to watch Spencer's reaction to this bubbly woman. He kept back, a habit Derek had a feeling would stick around for a long time, but he lost that neutral expression he'd been wearing and that shy smile of his curved his lips ever so slightly. For the first time in hours the kid spoke and his voice was just as soft as it always was, making it a little hard to hear over the noise of the airport. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"Oh, JJ warned me about you and your ma'am stuff. Now we're gonna have none of that, you and I, especially not if you'll be staying with me while Morgan's gone." Penelope scolded him. "You can call me Penelope, Penny, Garcia, PG, and I'll even respond sometimes to a 'hey you', or you can always go the safe route with things like 'your supreme excellency'." Her grin flashed brighter for a second and then she gestured at them with one hand. "Well, come on, my handsome duo, let's get you out of here. I bet you're ready to get somewhere much more comfortable and quiet than this."

As they started to follow her outside, Derek leaned close to the still slightly shocked Spencer and murmured "Don't worry, you'll get used to her."

They quickly made their way to Penelope's car and soon enough they were on their way out of there. Derek let out a low sigh of relief at the relative quiet of the car around him. Penelope shot him a quick, amused look. "Long flight, handsome?"

"That's putting it mildly." Derek leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "If I never hear another song by the Fresh Beat Band, I'll die a happy man."

She let out a happy laugh. "I'm loving the fact that you actually know who that is."

"Oh, they were very clear about that fact, trust me."

They stopped for a stoplight and Penelope looked up to the rearview mirror, using it to look at Spencer in the backseat. "What about you, sweet pea? Did you get driven to distraction by the singing kids, too?"

Derek looked back to see Spencer shaking his head. He was curled into his seat, his bag clutched in his lap. "I was fine, thank you." He said quietly. Once again Derek made a mental reminder to speak with someone about that. He wasn't sure if Spencer's quiet voice was shyness, or if there was some physical reason that he generally spoke in such a soft voice.

Seeing the way Penelope bit at her lip, a little nervous gesture, before her expression smoothed back out, he reached out and patted her leg reassuringly. "Don't worry, baby girl. Spencer's just not much of a talker. Right, kid?" He looked back at his young charge and flashed him a smile that he hoped would let the kid know that he wasn't criticizing him. The ghost of a smile he got in return told him that Spencer understood. Turning forward once more, Derek set about distracting Penelope and rescuing Spencer from any attempts to try and get him talking. "So tell me about what's been going on. I miss anything good at work?"

It worked like a charm. For the rest of the ride home Penelope chattered happily with him and caught him up on the work gossip that he didn't really care too much about, the team gossip which he always cared about, and a carefully edited version of a case consult that came through. Listening to her chatter was much different and much easier than listening to the noise of the plane. Penelope's voice was one that he was very used to and it actually worked to relax him some. By the time they got home there was quite a bit less tension in his shoulders and his head wasn't pounding quite as hard as it had been.

Penelope pulled into his driveway and parked her car without turning it off. "Well here you guys are. Home sweet home."

"You're not coming in?" Derek asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

She shook her head at him, eyes briefly darting to the backseat where Spencer was unbuckling as well. "No, no. I think I'll let you two get all settled in, first. You're coming back after the weekend, right?"

"Wednesday."

"We'll see each other then." She leaned in and the two shared a brief hug. "Just focus on getting everything important taken care of, handsome. You know where to find me if you need me."

"Sure do, mama."

Spencer once more showed that he'd been raised with manners. Once he was out of the car, he stopped by the driver's door and very politely said "Thank you for the ride, Ms. Garcia."

Her warm laughter filled the air and she smiled teasingly at Spencer. "Well, we're one step up from ma'am, I guess. Now we just need to lose that 'Ms.' at the front of it. But you're very welcome for the ride, Spencer. I really look forward to getting to know you. Something tells me the two of us are going to have plenty of fun."

With his bag slung over his shoulder, Derek gestured for Spencer to follow him and he led the young boy up to the front door of the house. He could hear Penelope pulling out of the driveway behind them and he turned just enough to lift a hand in a final wave goodbye. She tooted the horn merrily at them and then she was pulling away and heading off down the street. Derek turned back towards his door with a smile and slipped the key in the lock. "Well, that was Garcia. She can take a bit of getting used to, but she's one of the best friends I've got."

"She's nice." Spencer said softly. "She's got a beautiful soul."

Derek quirked his head slightly at that. It was a rather different compliment. From anyone else he might've just taken it as a strange compliment and moved on. But he remembered Spencer's powers and curiosity filled him. There was no harm in asking, right? Either Spencer would answer or he wouldn't. He held his hand on the door and turned around to look at him. "Do you mean her actual soul?"

The youth stayed quiet at first and Derek thought that this might be one of those instances where Spencer just said nothing. He did that rather frequently. Then he caught a tiny movement, just a small nod, and a glimpse of a tiny smile beyond the screen of the boy's hair.

Huh. Derek looked at him with amazement for a moment before giving in to the urge to smile. So this kid could see souls. Was it any real surprise that Penelope of all people had a 'beautiful soul'? They'd always known that there was something special about her. Who else could've stayed as happy and cheerful as her doing the kind of job that she did? She saw so much death on a daily basis. People always thought about the hard work that profilers did and they seemed to forget the hard work that people like Penelope did. Sometimes, Derek thought she saw worse things than the rest of them did. Not all the time. But, sometimes. After all, they might watch a horrific video that an Unsub made or left behind—Penelope was the one who had to sit there and pick it apart frame by frame, breaking it down and isolating sounds, pulling off images, finding them anything there that could be used. That wasn't all done automatically by the computer. It took her skills as well. Yet she still managed to stay the sunny woman that she was.

Finally Derek got the door open and he stepped into the house. Almost immediately there was the sound of barking and then he was being barreled into by his Germ Shepherd, Clooney. Derek stopped in the middle of the entryway and dropped his bag to the ground so he could squat down and fill his arms with his dog. His laughter mingled with Clooney's happy barks as dog and own greeted one another after too long apart. "Hey, boy." Derek caught Clooney's head, scratching behind his ears. "Hey there, Clooney. You been a good boy, hm? You been good for Kyle?" The neighbor across the street had a seventeen year old son named Kyle who Derek paid to come walk Clooney, play a bit with him, and make sure he had food and water while Derek was gone. They'd had the arrangement going for a few years now and it worked well for them all.

One arm around Clooney's neck, Derek turned himself with the intention of introducing Spencer to Clooney. What he found wasn't what he expected. Spencer still stood in the open doorway, his bag held in front of him almost like a shield, and if Derek didn't know any better, he'd say the kid looked…nervous. Scared, almost. Well, shit. He hadn't stopped to think about anything like that. What if Spencer was scared of dogs? If that was the case, this was going to be interesting, because Clooney had been a part of Derek's life for a long time now. "Spencer, are you okay?"

"Fine." Spencer answered in a short, clipped tone that was rather unlike him. He edge inside, making sure to shut the door behind him, but the way he held his head told Derek that the eyes behind the sunglasses never left Clooney.

Derek kept a hold on Clooney's collar as the dog caught sight of the other person in the house. "Sit." He said firmly, nodding when the dog obeyed. At least Clooney had always been a well behaved dog. That might save him a little trouble now. _Hopefully,_ he thought to himself. With Clooney staying still, Derek looked back up at Spencer. "He's not going to bite, kid, I promise. He's too well behaved. Just come on over and say hi."

The look Spencer wore clearly said he wasn't quite sure about that. "Dogs don't really like me all that much."

"Clooney likes pretty much everyone. Feed him and he'll be your friend for life." Derek stroked a hand over Clooney's head and carefully watched as Spencer inched just a tiny bit closer, slowly and hesitantly. "I'm sorry, kid." He apologized abruptly. "If I'd known you were scared of dogs, I would've warned you about him."

"I'm not scared of them." Spencer insisted almost immediately. He clutched a little tighter at his bag, though, and his body language gave away the lie. "I just, like I said, they tend to not like me all that much. I had one chase me for three blocks one time. My ankle still has the scars to prove it."

That made Derek wince. Okay, so the kid _did_ have a fear of dogs, and it sounded like he had a pretty good reason for it, too. This could potentially create a serious problem here. He had to find a way to nip this in the bud before it could grow too much. "Well, Clooney's never bitten anyone. Ever. We just need to get you two introduced and I'm sure you'll be able to get along just fine. Why don't you come over here and have a seat right here beside me. I'll introduce you two."

You had to give the kid credit, he was tougher than he looked. It was obvious he wanted to be just about anywhere but here right now. Yet, he came forward, albeit a little slowly. His movements were hesitant but he did come up and he did slowly sit down beside Derek on the ground. It didn't escape Derek's notice that Spencer kept just a bit away, though, and something told him that wasn't because of the dog. He'd already noticed just how wide of a personal 'bubble' the young teen seemed to have. Because he understood, he didn't question it or comment on it. He just focused on what they were doing. "Good. Now, hold out your hand. Let him smell at your fingers so he gets your scent." He saw Spencer's nervous look grow a little and he promised "Don't worry, I won't let go of his collar. Not until you're ready."

Any thoughts of getting a bite to eat and going to tuck into bed vanished as Derek focused on introducing Clooney and Spencer to one another. This was important, he knew. It was also a moment of trust between them. Spencer was trusting him to keep Clooney under control here and to keep him safe. There was no danger here, Derek knew that. But Spencer didn't. He didn't know that he wasn't in danger. To him, the danger was real, and that made his gift of trust a big, important thing.

He kept his voice pitched low and calm as he talked Spencer through this. He got the boy to hold his hand out and they both sat there through Clooney sniffing at his fingers. When the dog gave a lick, Spencer jumped with surprise and then, to Derek's immense relief, his lips twitched with that small smile of his. He reached out again without prompting this time and he was only slightly hesitant as he put his hand to the top of Clooney's head and pet him with a light, rather nervous touch. Derek kept his hand on Clooney's collar and held him in place while he watched Spencer's touch grow a little less hesitant. Eventually, the boy was scratching behind Clooney's ears and the dog looked like he was in Heaven. Derek chuckled. "I think you've made a new friend, Spencer."

"He's friendly." Spencer said softly.

"That he is. He likes people, and he likes attention. He'll beg shamelessly for it, so be warned now."

Slowly, making sure that Spencer could see what he was doing, Derek released his hold on Clooney's collar. Spencer tensed up almost instantly, his touch once more turning unsure, but Clooney knew what to do even if Spencer didn't. Now that he was free of his master he went straight for Spencer and immediately tried to act like the lap dog he thought he was. He was a full grown German shepherd so it wasn't like he was small. He filled Spencer's lap with plenty of him left to hang over. He stared adoringly up at the youth while his tail thumped the ground. And for the first time since Derek had met Spencer, he got to see a real smile light up his face. Not one of those tiny little smiles, and not a big grin, but just a regular smile. One that didn't carry a bitter or cynical edge to it. A smile that was just plain happy. Spencer smiled down at Clooney and started to scratch behind his ears again, making the dog the happiest animal on earth.

Derek watched them for a moment before pushing himself up off the floor. "I'll leave you two to get acquainted. I'm going to go check out the kitchen and see if I've got anything worth snacking on. Are you hungry, kid?"

Spencer shook his head without looking up. "No, thank you."

Standing there looking down at them, Derek realized that he wasn't really all that hungry, either. At least, not hungry enough to go scrounging through the cupboards to see if there was anything worthwhile. He glanced at the clock on the wall, taking note of the time, and switched his plans around. "You know what? I think I'll hold out till breakfast, too. Why don't I go ahead and go get you some bedding? I hope you don't mind, but you'll have to kip it on the couch tonight until I can get the guestroom cleared out. I just redid the floors in there recently so the extra bed and such is still out in the garage. I figured we could put it all together tomorrow."

"That's fine." Spencer said.

With one last look at the two on the floor, the profiler shook his head and set off down the hallway, a small smile touching his lips. Things were going better than he'd hoped for. Maybe their adjustment to one another wouldn't be so bad after all.

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><p>Though Derek had long since gone to bed, Spencer still wasn't asleep. He sat curled into the corner of the couch with the quilt that Derek had given him wrapped round him to try and stave off the chill. It was colder here than he was used to. Hell, nothing here was like he was used to. Spencer burrowed down a little further into his blankets and drew his knees up towards his chest. He rested his folded arms there and laid his chin on his blanketed arms. This town was such a strange contrast to what he knew. On the drive from the airport, he'd been able to watch out the windows and see the places that they passed by. DC looked like it still had some kind of nightlife, but it had nothing on Vegas nightlife. It wasn't as bright, either. That was something that was going to take some getting used to. Vegas never went completely dark. Not with all the neon lights everywhere. But DC didn't have that.<p>

Thinking on that, and on his little place with a view of the city, Spencer cast a quick look over towards the living room window. That was his only source of light right now. Derek had shut everything else off on his way past, thinking that Spencer was curled up on the couch and going to go to sleep. Spencer had held out long enough to be sure that Derek was settled down in bed. Then he'd gone quickly and quietly to the window to open the curtains just enough to let in the light from the street light outside. It wasn't much but it was better than sitting in the dark. Spencer _hated_ the dark.

He wasn't really used to being in bed this early, either. Night was the best time to go out and earn some money. Generally, Spencer wasn't climbing into his little bed until the wee hours of the morning. It felt strange to be in bed—or on the couch, more accurately—before it was even midnight. Before _ten_! How was he supposed to go to sleep? Even if his internal clock hadn't been set to be awake right now, he doubted he would've been able to go to sleep. Too many changes had happened today and his mind was too busy. Besides, his trust only went so far, and he wasn't sure how he felt sleeping out in the open like this where he was so exposed. Derek had done nothing so far to earn his mistrust, true, but then again neither had Gil at first.

Gil's true colors had showed rather quickly, though. Spencer had only been there eleven hours before the first time he was slapped. For 'sassing', if he remembered correctly. Derek hadn't done anything like that. Then again, Spencer wasn't talking. He wasn't risking anything that might cause trouble and bring him under negative attention. He'd learned how to be quiet and how to behave best so as not to draw too much attention to himself.

It wasn't really the hitting that Spencer was worried about. That, he could handle. He knew how to take a beating. A genius kid, bumped up grade after grade, and a mutant to boot? Yeah, he knew how to take a hit. He'd learned that lesson early in life. That kind of pain was generally fleeting and could easily be worked around and ignored. Just like he'd ignored the ache in his thigh and stomach today as his bruises continued to heal. No, it wasn't the threat of being hit that had Spencer worrying, his stomach clenching with a fear that he hated. It was the threat of something far worse. Gil had waited a whole month after Spencer came into their home before he'd first started _touching _him. Looking back, Spencer could see there'd been warning signs there. He had just been too naïve to realize what they were.

Nothing that Derek had done had even hinted at him wanting something like this. But they'd been mostly surrounded by people so far. Spencer had been in the hospital for the past three days and there'd always been someone around, and he'd only gotten out this morning. This was the first time that he and Derek were alone together. Would Derek say as good as he'd ben so far, or would he change now that they were alone? He could hurt him here and no one would know. Who would dare question a _federal agent_? He could do anything he wanted and it would be his word against Spencer's and there was no doubt in his mind how that would go. A federal agent and a mutant. Yeah, it wasn't hard to figure out who people would listen to.

Spencer didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to think that Derek could be anything like the Walters. But he wasn't stupid enough to think that nice people couldn't do bad things.

_Derek's done nothing to earn your mistrust_, he scolded himself. At the same time, the other part of his brain, the part that had learned how to survive, told him not to be stupid. To be cautious. Watch, wait, and keep his guard up. He wasn't going to become a victim again. No way, no how. He'd fight tooth and nail before he let that happen to him again.

Wrapped up in his dark thoughts just as tightly as he was wrapped in the blanket, Spencer stayed awake for hours, not falling asleep until the wee hours of the morning. His body slipped down into the light sleep he'd perfected, ready to come awake in an instant at the first sign of trouble. He wasn't going to be caught unawares.


	2. Rough Conversations

_AN: I'm sort of, halfway borrowing a CM line here, guys, from Foundation. Just partially, though. Not really note-worthy but I thought I'd put this here for those sticklers who might notice and be bothered._

_Thank you for your reviews, my lovelies, and for showing such an interest in this storyline. It is way more interesting to write than I ever could've imagine and I find myself loving it. I hope you continue to enjoy this as we all grow along with Spencer here. Don't forget to let me know what you think!_

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><p>When Derek walked out into the living room the next morning, his first reaction was to laugh. He quickly smothered it so as to avoid waking up the boy sleeping on the couch. He should've known better. One pure black eye peeked out beyond shaggy brown hair and found him. Spencer looked up with a bemused look on his face. "He came out about an hour ago and just sort of climbed on." He murmured, gesturing down towards his legs where Clooney was stretched out with him, lying in the curve behind his legs with his head and one paw resting on Spencer's thigh.<p>

"I think you've made a new friend, Spencer." Derek teased him. He could hear Spencer's light grumbles behind him while he turned around and headed into the kitchen.

He'd just started to make his morning coffee when he heard the click of nails on the ground. Automatically he moved over to the door at the end of the kitchen and he opened it wide so that Clooney could go out into the backyard. When they didn't go for a run together, this was their usual morning routine, and Clooney knew exactly what to do. He went out quickly and Derek shut the door behind him, cutting off the slight breeze out there. The morning air had just a small nip to it today. Not much, just perfect to keep him cool if he'd been running. He'd opted out of his usual run this morning, though. No, he had different plans for this morning. More important plans. One quick glance over his shoulder showed him that the center of those plans was standing near at the edge of the kitchen looking wildly uncomfortable and not at all sure about what he should be doing. It saddened the profiler to see that Spencer already had his sunglasses on. Was that just something that had become so ingrained that it was automatic now, or was it a sign of discomfort and distrust?

Derek pushed the question to the back of his mind with the eight thousand others that he had and he focused on getting his coffee together. Those questions probably weren't going to be answered any time soon. They were going to take time, just like everything else.

Snapping the lid shut on the machine and flipping the switch, Derek turned himself around and put his back against the counter, his hands resting against the counter on either side of him. He smiled at Spencer, who was still quietly standing there. "I checked the cupboards when I was getting the stuff for coffee. There's not a whole lot in there. As far as breakfast goes, I've got Pop Tarts and a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Not exactly the breakfast of champions, I know, but we work with what we've got. We'll pick up some more stuff while we're out later today."

"It's fine, thank you." Spencer said softly. "I don't generally eat breakfast anyways."

Derek arched an eyebrow at that. _I bet you don't, kid._ "Yeah, well, skipping meals is out of the question for a while. The doc said you should be getting about 3,500 calories a day until your weight starts going up." Until they could get him to the point that he didn't look like he'd snap apart with one wrong touch. Derek hadn't seen him stripped down in the gown at the hospital the way that JJ had, but he remembered her face when she'd achingly told him just how thin Spencer was. The thinness to his face, hands and even his wrists was apparent enough to anyone, and it was bad. He couldn't begin to imagine what the rest of the kid looked like. Most people looking at Spencer wouldn't be able to guess he was fourteen. Hell, Derek hadn't even guessed that at first. He'd thought Spencer was closer to eleven or twelve. A sickly elven or twelve.

With a shrug of his shoulder, Spencer gave in without a fight, and a few minutes later the two of them were sitting at the table with bowls of cereal. Derek had coffee with his while Spencer had declined the glass of milk Derek offered.

It was the quietest breakfast Derek had ever shared with another person. Spencer ate without speaking and with a single-mindedness that spoke of someone who knew intimately the feeling of starving and who had learned to take what was given and waste not a drop. The kid had manners as he ate, more than most fourteen year olds had, but Derek chose not to comment on the protective arm that Spencer wrapped so casually around his bowl. There were some habits he knew would be a long time changing and that was probably one of them. It would take a while before Spencer felt secure in the knowledge that no one was going to take his food away from him. In the meantime, Derek was going to make sure there were plenty of opportunities for the kid to realize that. Fattening him up a bit was definitely in the top five goals that Derek had.

Spencer seemed to finish about the same time that Derek did and he followed the older man's lead by bringing his bowl over to the sink. Derek turned the water on and gestured towards the towel that sat folded on the counter. "Here. I'll wash, you dry."

A look of surprise crossed Spencer's face. He still said nothing, though, simply picked up the towel and waited. It only took a minute for them to get their breakfast dishes washed and dried. When they were done and Derek had dried his hands off on the towel, he decided the silence had lasted long enough. There were some things the two of them needed to talk about before this went any further. Then, when that was done and if Spencer was up for it, they could go out and go pick up a few things for the house and then come back and get Spencer's room put together.

"Okay, kid, breakfast is done and dishes are put up." Derek said, folding the towel and setting it back on the counter. Then he turned and looked right at Spencer. "I think it's time we sit down and talk."

Because he'd been looking for it he saw as Spencer's body went taunt. He'd figured that would happen. There was no doubt in Derek's mind that Spencer was watching everything he said and did with a careful eye. Life had taught him to be very cautious. It made sense that he was going to be even more so here. He was with someone he barely knew in a place far from home. Of course he was on watch. He was waiting for Derek to stop being nice and start acting like everyone else, and Derek's statement just now probably hadn't helped that at all. There was no doubt it had sent the kid's fear sky high. Derek could just imagine the scenarios that Spencer was building in his head. None of it showed on his face or in his voice, though. That damn neutral mask was in place again. "About what?"

"Relax, kid." Making his way back over to the table, Derek slid back down into his chair again and reached out for his coffee cup. "I just figured we haven't really had much of a chance to talk about anything since this whole thing got started. We've either been at the hospital, surrounded by other people, or going to take care of things, and then we were flying here and we were both tired last night." Though, he'd bet Spencer barely slept a lick last night. "I thought you might want to talk about things, or that you might have some questions for me."

Spencer stayed standing over by the counter for a long moment and Derek got the feeling that his words were being weighed and measured. Caution was probably warring against a need to know. All he could do was sit there and wait patiently for Spencer to come to his decision. It didn't take long. After just a moment of standing there, the kid finally nodded to himself and then he moved over to join Derek once more at the table. He was hesitant, though. It showed in his body when he slipped carefully down into his chair. He rested his hands flat on the table like he was trying to steady himself. Then they slipped down to his lap and those slender shoulders squared at the same time that his chin tipped up. "Can you tell me what's going on with my case? And with…" Spencer paused and drew in a steadying breath. "…with Gil?"

"When we left Vegas, Gil was still sitting in a jail cell." Derek made a point to start this all off with that statement. He wanted to make absolutely sure that Spencer knew this man was not going to be able to come after him. But Spencer surprised him by cutting in and asking "Did they set bail at his arraignment?"

"No bail. Not with those tapes, kid." Derek assured him. He watched Spencer relax a little in his chair and fought back the urge to reach out to him. It wasn't until he was faced with not being able to touch that Derek realized just how often he did it. He kept having to constantly check the urge to reach out and touch Spencer's arm or his shoulder, or to ruffle at his hair. All things that Derek did with his friends or with the kids of his friends. Spencer wouldn't react well if Derek tried to do it with him. He practically had 'hands off' written all over him.

"What about the trial?" Spencer asked. "Am I going to have to speak at that?"

"The lawyer for your case says that you shouldn't have to. Those tapes should be evidence enough that there should be no reason to speak with you." Derek had already told him that, but he could understand that Spencer wanted the reassurance.

Spencer seemed to be satisfied by that. He went quiet again and still in that strange way of his. Moments like this made Derek wish that the kid would take his sunglasses off. It might make him just a bit easier to read. There were times that the profiler could read Spencer's moods in his body language, little cues that he'd been trained to observe that gave the kid away, and then there were times like this where Spencer became like a living mannequin. Still, emotionless, unmoving. It was unnerving. Especially for someone who was so used to reading body language as a part of his day to day job. He couldn't help but wonder how long it had taken Spencer to perfect the control he had over his body and emotions and just what it had cost him to get to this point. Inside, his heart ached a little.

Eventually Spencer moved once more. His chin tipped up again and Derek watched him brace himself once more. Okay, whatever he was going to ask, it probably wasn't going to be good if it took this much for the kid to work up the courage to ask. Derek waited patiently, though. He wasn't going to push this.

Spencer's voice was soft, but it was steady when he finally voiced his question. "What do you want from me?"

The question caught Derek off guard enough that he couldn't quite think of how to respond to it right away. "Want from you?" What did Spencer mean? What could Derek want from him? Abruptly Derek's brain caught up with the conversation and he heard the proverbial 'click' in his mind as realization hit. Of course Spencer would think that Derek would want something from him. Hadn't everyone else?

"People don't do something nice without expecting something in return." Spencer answered him. His words were far too cynical for someone his age. The shy boy was fading away once more and the part of Spencer that Derek thought of as the 'street kid' was pushing to the forefront. "There's a price for everything, Agent Morgan. Now, you rescued me from Gil, pulled me off the streets, kept me out of juvie, and now you've brought me into your home. A nice house with a bed and real food. My debt is climbing up awfully high here. So, what is it you want from me?"

There was only one answer that Derek could give to that. "Nothing."

Spencer let out a disgusted snort that showed clearly his opinion on that. "Don't give me that. Everyone wants _something_."

"I wanted to help you, Spencer. That's all. I just, I couldn't leave you there, not like that. I had to help."

"Bullshit." Spencer spat out. The curse from this usually quiet, shy boy was startling. What was even more startling was the anger that crossed Spencer's face. The youth folded his arms over his chest and slouched back in his chair and even with his sunglasses on there was no doubt that he was glaring. "People like you don't care about people like me, agent. That's not how it goes."

It took a bit of effort to still the automatic protest that boiled up. Derek fought it back and shoved it down. He had a feeling he'd get a whole lot more out of this if he didn't try and argue. There was something here in Spencer's words, in his actions, that was important, and Derek needed to figure out what it was. With just the right prodding, very carefully done, Spencer might actually tell him. Sitting back in his chair, Derek folded his hands in his lap and arched one eyebrow. "What do you mean, people like you or me?"

A sneer curled Spencer's lips. This wasn't the Spencer that Derek had been speaking to only moments ago, not the calm one and not even the street version, nor was it any part of Spencer that Derek had encountered so far. This was a totally different aspect of the young teen and it was most decidedly the angry one. A defense, he knew. A way of protecting himself. This mask that he pulled on gave him a cocky air that Derek had seen in other kids before. It was one that he remembered wearing himself when he was younger. A way to protect against the pain that just boiled inside of you until you thought you'd choke from it and the only way to let it out, the only way that felt safe, was to get angry at people. That's what Spencer was doing now. He was scared and worried and he was protecting himself against what he perceived was going to be more pain by being the one to lash out first. "You know what I mean." Spencer told him, arching one brow at him. "Cops and street kids. You can't convince me that some fancy federal agent gives a damn about some two-bit trash from Vegas."

"You are not trash." There was no way Derek could stop himself from saying that. Prodding Spencer along to get him talking was one thing. Listening to him insult himself was something else entirely. Derek couldn't just let that go.

The derisive sound that Spencer made might've been a laugh if it hadn't been so bitter sounding. "You don't know the first thing about me, agent. You think because you read some file that you've got any idea about who I am? You have no idea. You've got no clue about the things I've done."

"You're right, I don't know what you've done. But I know a little something about doing things you don't want to do just to survive."

"Really?" Spencer cut in sarcastically.

A slightly distant look came into Derek's eyes. His own memories were rising up for the moment and it was only years of therapy that allowed him to push down his own hurt and anger. But echoes of that pain showed in his voice when he said "Yeah. Yeah, I do." A part of Derek felt sick inside, the same feeling that always came when these memories hit him, and there was that ever present shame that he wondered if he would ever fully get rid of. But he could control it better than he once could. It didn't consume him anymore. It didn't destroy him. And maybe, just maybe, he could use it now to help another young man. To keep Spencer from doing what he'd done and bottling it up inside until the poison ate at his very soul. Derek curled his hands tightly around his coffee mug and he lifted his eyes to meet Spencer's across the table. He stared hard at the sunglasses, wishing once more to be able to see beyond them, and he said the words he'd told to so few people in his life. "Carl Buford." He said it softly, a softness that matched Spencer's, but his voice was steady. "That's the name of the man who hurt me. I was just a kid, just like you. He helped me out after my father died when I was ten, an he helped get me out of some trouble, getting me into football to get me off the streets. He even helped get some things expunged off my records. But it wasn't for free. He made damn sure I felt like I owed him."

"Everyone wants something." Spencer repeated his earlier words in a voice that had dropped down to a whisper. The tightly controlled fury of before was fading away from his face, his body, leaving behind a boy who didn't look quite so sure anymore.

Licking dry lips, Derek nodded. "Yeah. It seems like it, doesn't it?" He took a deep, steadying breath, and he kept his gaze steady. "I'm telling you this because I think you deserve to know that you're not the only kid that went through some horrible stuff, and I'm telling you so that maybe you'll know I mean it when I say I don't want anything from you except for you to grow up safe, happy, and healthy."

"Why?" Spencer asked. "Why me? What makes me so different than any of the other kids you've probably come across during your job?"

"I don't know." It was the most honest answer that he could give. "I don't know what it was about you, kid. It just seemed like the more I learned about you, the harder it was to walk away. Seeing what you had to live with, the shit you had to go through, I couldn't just leave you there."

Spencer bowed his head down. "Everyone else did."

And that was the crux of it. That was where so much of the distrust that was in Spencer's face right now came from. He couldn't bring himself to trust Derek's words, no matter how much he might want to. Too many people had betrayed that. People that he had trusted with all the faith and innocence of a child, which was a whole hell of a lot. They shattered that trust and now it was up to Derek and Spencer together to pick up all those little pieces of it and slowly put them back together. It was going to take time, he knew, and a lot of effort on both their parts. But he had to believe that they could do it. He had to believe enough for the both of them, at least until Spencer found enough strength to start believing on his own.

Derek straightened his spine a little more as the weight of that responsibility settled on his shoulders. Any idea he might've carried in the back of his mind that things would magically get better once he got Spencer away from there were banished now. This wasn't going to be easy and there was going to be no magical fix-it. This was going to take strength and faith and a whole lot of hard work, three things that Derek could provide. Three things he had to be the one to provide. He let those fill him and hoped that they were in his voice, too, so that Spencer could hear just how much he meant what he said. "I know that no one has given you any cause to trust. If anything, you've been given cause to mistrust everyone, and I get that. I do. But I'm telling you that you're safe here, Spencer. One day I hope you can believe that."

A flash of black eyes looked up at Derek over the top of those sunglasses, peeking out through his bangs. "I hope so too."


	3. Tests and Psychologists

_Sorry, folks. I'm not even gonna lie about this, RL got in the way and then I got sucked into watching a favorite show of mine, Leverage, and I'm one of those obsessional people that can't just watch ONE show. All the seasons are up on Netflix, so once I watched one, I had to watch them all, and that was how I spent all my free time. But I'm done now and back to writing, so hopefully I can get back on schedule :)_

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><p>Spencer's first weekend in the Morgan household passed rather uneventfully. The two of them got the guest room put together with the bed back inside and a dresser for his things, what little there were of them. Then, once all that was done, Derek took them out and Spencer was amazed as the man seemed intent on trying to fill those empty drawers at home. It didn't matter how much Spencer protested the use of all this money on him. Derek took him into the stores anyways and set about finding him a new wardrobe. Pants, underwear, shirts, socks, the works. When Spencer continued to protest each item, Derek finally stopped and bluntly told him "Look, kid. If it makes you feel any better, it's not even my money that I'm spending, though I wouldn't care if it was. The state gave me money to help get you settled. So it's the government's money you're spending, all right?" He flashed a bright grin at Spencer. "Go crazy with it. It's the least they can do for you."<p>

That cut off Spencer's complaints. Spending money the government gave for him was a lot easier to accept than spending Derek's money. Still, he didn't let Derek get him a lot. Having a bunch of clothes wasn't really that important to him. He'd survived on just a few items that filled barely half a bag. But by the time they left the store, he had one pair of jeans, three pairs of cargo pants, a pack of plain white t-shirts, two long sleeved shirts, a pack of boxers and a mish mosh of socks—it had made Derek laugh for almost five minutes when he'd watched Spencer carefully pick out socks, the young man explaining that he couldn't get all-white socks because his socks couldn't match—and _two_ hoodies. Those two hoodies were the ones that thrilled Spencer. He'd learned quickly on the streets just how warm and comfortable those could be at night. Here in DC where everything was so much colder, he had a feeling he'd get a lot more use out of them. Plus, a hood always added an extra bit of protection to hide with.

Derek tried to convince Spencer to get some things to put in his room. Things that might make it feel more like home, he suggested, but Spencer declined. He didn't tell Derek that he didn't want to get too comfortable. It still seemed so unreal that he was actually going to be staying here. Putting things in his room, picking stuff out and making it personal, that was just too much. They were steps that he just didn't feel ready to take yet. Derek must've caught on because he didn't push it. He did, however, insist when Spencer tried to decline a new pair of shoes. "Yours are about to fall apart." Derek told him firmly. "And it's going to be fall before too long. Trust me, you'll need some good shoes then."

Thinking that far ahead wasn't something that Spencer was used to doing. But he knew better than to really fight with any adult and so he gave in and let Derek get him a good pair of boots as well as a new pair of Converse shoes to replace his current worn out ones.

By the time they got back to the house, with a box of pizza for dinner, Spencer was moving almost in shock. The day had been nothing at all like what he'd been expecting. _Derek _was nothing at all like he'd been expecting. He didn't know what to do with Derek sometimes. He didn't know how to act with someone who seemed so intent on treating him well. It left him off balance and had him extremely unsure of how to act or what to do. He went to bed early that night just to be able to shut himself off in his room—_his room! He had a room of his own again_!—and to try and relax himself a little. He was grateful to realize that the window in his room let in just enough moonlight that it wasn't completely dark in there. Even so, Spencer sat up most of the night, his body curled into the top corner of his bed as he stared outside at the moon and stars and wondered just what the hell he was doing here and if this was really going to last.

In his room was where Spencer spent most of Sunday. The only thing he really had for entertainment came about halfway through the day when Derek knocked on his door, waiting for permission to enter, and he brought in a box of books that he said he found in the garage. "I've had these in there for forever, it seems like. I thought you might like to have something to do."

"Thanks." Spencer murmured. He'd waited until Derek left before digging through the box. The rest of the day had been spent mostly going through that box of books. He didn't emerge from his room until Derek called him out for dinner.

It was over dinner that the man let him know their plans for the next few days. "We've got a busy week ahead of us." Derek warned him, stirring aimlessly at the mashed potatoes on his plate. His eyes were on Spencer. "There are things that we're required to do for you to stay in my care."

Spencer paused in the act of cutting a bite of chicken and he looked up at Derek suspiciously. "Like what?"

"Well, we've got to set you up to see another doctor here. One who can make sure that you're doing okay and that you're healthy."

"But I already saw that other doctor." Spencer felt compelled to point out. He really, really didn't want to go back to see another doctor.

There was compassion in Derek's dark eyes that said he'd heard the words unspoken there. It didn't stop him, though. "I know, kid. But you've got to see someone here to make sure that you're doing what that doctor said and that you're getting better. Healthier."

It made sense; Spencer knew that. He knew the importance of follow up visits and what their whole purpose was. Logically, he knew and understood all of this. That didn't mean that he had to like it, though. At all. Going to see a doctor was towards the very bottom of the list of things that Spencer liked to do. That lady he'd seen back in Vegas, she'd been so different than the medical staff he was used to seeing, and he knew that there weren't many like her who cared. Who could look at a young mutant boy and treat him normally. Most that he'd encountered out there hadn't been anywhere near as nice and he hated the humiliating experience of going through a medical exam with someone who either was disgusted by him, or who thought of him as less than human. Those kinds of people didn't care as much about being kind or gentle. They just wanted to get the appointment done with and get him out of there as quickly as possible.

But there was no point in arguing this. Spencer knew it wasn't something he was going to be able to get out of. Especially not if he wanted to stay here. So he bit his tongue and fought back the urge to beg Derek not to make him go. He dropped his eyes down to his plate and smothered his sigh. "What else do I have to do?" He asked quietly. There was a hint of defeat in his tone that he couldn't quite keep out of there.

There was a brief pause then, and if Spencer had looked up he would've seen the pained look that flashed across Derek's face, or the way the man's hand twitched around his fork in an aborted attempt to reach out to him. But he didn't look up, so he saw none of it, and when Derek spoke again there was nothing in the man's tone to show the emotion that was hiding underneath. "We've got to get you in to see a psychologist, and we're also going to meet up with someone and see about having your intelligence finally tested."

The first part of that statement was enough to have Spencer wanting to cringe. He _hated_ seeing shrinks. But the second part had him perking up. He sat up a little straighter and lifted his gaze again, eyes going wide with surprise behind his sunglasses. "An IQ test?" The idea that intelligence could be accurately tested and quantified was preposterous, of course. There were so many levels to a person's intelligence that couldn't all be encompassed in a single test. He had met people out on the streets that would never graduate high school and who couldn't read more than a sentence or two, if they tried really hard, but who were some of the smartest people he'd ever met. Their smarts just didn't center around book learning. But even with all that, Spencer still found himself eager.

Derek saw that and smiled at him. "Yeah. We've got an appointment tomorrow morning for that. I take it that's cool with you?"

The teasing tone went right over Spencer's head. He often missed subtle teasing like that. Oblivious to it, he gave Derek one of his small little half smiles and nodded. "Yeah."

The rest of their dinner passed in slight quiet, but it was a much more relaxed quiet than had been there before, each one of them thinking about what might come over the next few days.

* * *

><p>Was it strange that he was excited to be taking this test? It was Monday morning and Spencer and Derek were at the facility where Spencer's testing was going to take place. They'd come in and met with a woman named Veronica, an older woman with a slightly serious face and hair done up in a tight bun, and she'd had Derek sit down to wait while she took Spencer back to the 'testing room'.<p>

Spencer sat in his chair and tried to hide his eagerness as he waited for the test to be brought in to him. When Derek had told him yesterday that they'd be coming in today for Spencer to take a series of tests to judge his IQ, he'd had to work hard just to make sure that the man didn't see how the idea thrilled him. People generally looked at him strange or treated him like he was weird when he got excited about anything involving education and learning. Things were going so well between him and Derek at the moment that the last thing he wanted was to mess it up by acting strange. Or, strang_er_. This was his fourth day since coming to DC and he was enjoying the peace of it so far. Why mess it up?

But now that he was here and waiting for them to actually bring the test in, it was difficult for him to sit still and wait. This would be a chance for him to stretch muscles that he worried sometimes would grow dull of disuse. He'd tried to keep up on learning by visiting the library as often as he could, but after a while he'd had to learn to be very careful because the police had learned that he liked to visit there and it became one of the common places they would check for him, so he'd learned to be careful about his visits or he'd risk being picked up and taken back to the Walters.

In the car this morning Derek had mentioned picking up paperwork today from Penelope, too, that they could fill out so he could apply for scholarships at the local colleges. Spencer couldn't believe it. Derek was going to let him go to _college_. He'd resigned himself to having to wait until he was eighteen to go. Either eighteen or sixteen. His plan had been to try and apply for emancipation when he reached sixteen. But if that hadn't worked out, he'd known he'd have to wait until eighteen. Yet here Derek was talking about applying for scholarships as if Spencer going to school was already a forgone conclusion. If Spencer hadn't already started to like Derek, that would've set him on the road.

The door to the testing room opened and Spencer looked up as someone brought a stack of papers in. Years of practice kept the grin off Spencer's face, though it couldn't keep a shadow of it from ghosting across his lips. Time to get started.

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><p>Sitting in a waiting room was always dull work. There wasn't much there to entertain a person. With that in mind, Derek had brought a book with him, having been warned in advance that these IQ tests could take a while. Derek had worked his way through a few chapters of his book before a door on the side of the room opened and the woman he'd met earlier when they'd arrived now gestured for him to come back. Veronica, he thought her name was. He put his bookmark in place and rose up from the uncomfortable waiting room chair. She led him down a hallway and finally into an office at the end. Once inside, she gestured for him to take a seat, and Derek took it while watching her carefully. There was a strange look on her face that had him curious. What was going on? Was everything okay? They'd told him this testing could take a while, but Spencer had only been back there for about an hour. "Is Spencer all right?"<p>

"What?" Veronica—he saw her nameplate and he'd been right on her name—paused halfway down to her chair and gave him a startled look. When she saw the worry on his face, she rushed to reassure him while she sat down. "Oh, no, he's perfectly fine, Mr. Morgan. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do anything to worry you."

Relief crashed through him. So Spencer was okay, then. If he was fine, what was with the strange look that she'd been wearing? "You just looked worried about something." He explained. Another thought hit him and he asked "Did he have trouble with his test?"

"Not at all." She picked up a folder that was on her desk and held it while she smiled brightly up at Derek. "In fact, quite the opposite. We're all a little stunned here. Spencer scored extraordinarily high on his tests, Mr. Morgan."

Well, okay then. That wasn't really a surprise. He knew Spencer was smart. Spend five minutes with the kid—when he was actually talking, that is, not hiding within himself—and anyone could figure that out. "I kind of had a feeling he would."

Veronica shook her head at him. "No, I'm not sure you understand. In our tests here, 85 to 114 are what are commonly considered the area of average intelligence, give or take. It varies in different groups and different tests but those are our averages here."

"Okay."

"Spencer scored higher than anyone we've tested here." Opening up the folder in her hands, she turned it around and laid it down on the desk in front of Derek. "He scored 171."

A stunned silence filled the room. One seventy one? Spencer had scored _one hundred and seventy one?_ On a test that people generally scored between eighty five and one hundred and fourteen. _Jesus_. "Are you serious?" Knowing that the kid was bright was one thing, but hearing it laid out like that brought home just how bright he was.

The smile that Veronica wore said she could read his thoughts on his face and understood. Her own amazement was quite clear to see. "Quite serious, Mr. Morgan. And, as incredible as this sounds, I'm absolutely positive that his score should be higher."

"_Higher_?"

"I'd like to see him tested again in a year, once he's had a chance to truly settle into his life here. He's gone through a very rough couple of years that have turned him into a very introverted young man. Then he moved out here with you and his whole life changed around. He's still adjusting to being with you, just starting therapy, and from what you said he's going to start attending school again with the new semester, correct?"

All of this had Derek slightly stunned. His mind was still focusing on that number—171!—so it took a moment for her question to really sink in. When it did, he nodded, his expression still showing his shock. "Yeah, that's our goal. We're going to pick up the scholarship paperwork today."

She smiled kindly at him. "If we give Spencer a year to settle in with you, to adjust to all of these new things and to start down the road of healing, I'm confident his score will increase dramatically." Resting her arms on the table, Veronica leaned in a little more and her expression was earnest, excited, like someone thrilled with a new discovery. "Your young man is exceptionally bright, with amazing potential." She paused and then added "I'd also suggest you get him in to the eye doctor. The way he leaned in towards the page for certain things suggests to me he most likely needs reading glasses.

Glasses? Derek opened his mouth to agree when something struck him. How was an optician supposed to look at Spencer's eyes? They were pools of endless black. They weren't separated into pupil, iris and sclera. They were simply black. How would an optician look in there and figure out anything? They would have to rely solely on their machine where they could flip the lenses. Derek didn't wear glasses, but an ex of his had worn some and he'd gone with her to one appointment. The guy had asked her 'better, or worse?' about a hundred different times as he flipped things around on the machine in front of her. They'd just have to do that for Spencer and skip out on some of those other things. He'd have to check around, though, and try and find someone used to dealing with mutants. The last thing Derek wanted was to take him in somewhere where he'd end up being looked at and treated like a freak show.

"I'll look into that." He finally settled on saying. This was something that was going to take some serious looking into. It was another thing to add to a list that was seeming to grow longer and longer. For each thing they did, each thing he learned, something else just kept getting added on. But they'd do what they had to do. It was about time someone looked out for what was best for Spencer.

* * *

><p>Their morning may have gone well, but their afternoon was an unmitigated disaster.<p>

So far Spencer had been one of the quietest and most controlled young kids that Derek had ever known. Aside from their moment they'd shared at the breakfast table where a bit of attitude had leaked through, there really hadn't been any trouble. No temper tantrums, no typical teenage attitude, none of that. If Derek had really stopped to think about it, and he hadn't, he would've found himself grateful for it. There were enough other issues for them to handle together. But that afternoon Derek got his first real glimpse at the temper that was hidden inside of Spencer.

Everything had been going just fine. After their morning at the testing center, they'd gone out and had lunch together. Derek enjoyed taking Spencer out to eat. Sure, the kid looked a little uncomfortable for a bit. Being out in public tended to do that to him. But it was worth it just to watch the way Spencer would tuck in to whatever he was given. It was both pleasing and sad all at the same time. It pleased Derek to be able to give him something that so obviously made him happy. He liked seeing how Spencer enjoyed even a cheeseburger like it was the finest French cuisine. Yet it saddened him at the same time. Food had been a luxury for Spencer for far too long.

Once their lunch was done, they headed out to the one place that Derek knew Spencer wasn't looking forward to—the psychologists. Dr. Michelle Truelove was at the top of the list that Penelope had given him of the best child/teen psychologists in the area. She was supposed to be one of the best at dealing with traumatized youth, especially those that had experienced sexual assault, and what Penelope had been able to find out about her had been only good. Getting an appointment with her had been a rather big deal considering how full her schedule was. Derek was feeling pretty pleased with himself while he sat in the waiting room and waited for Spencer to come back out. Michelle had wanted to conduct her initial meeting one-on-one with Spencer and then they were supposed to call Derek in to talk afterwards. They never made it that far.

Derek's pleased feeling faded rather quickly when the door to Michelle's office snapped open and an absolutely livid looking Spencer came flying out. All it had taken was one look at the shutdown expression on Spencer's face and Derek was up and on his feet in a flash. He wasn't prepared for Spencer's reaction. Instead of the shy or scared young man, this was fury personified. "I'm not going back in there." Spencer snapped at him before he could say a word. He lifted a finger that Derek was stunned to see was shaking and he pointed it back towards the door where Michelle was now standing. "She's a bigoted _shrew_. You try and make me see her and so help me, I will _hitchhike_ my way back to Vegas!"

Having Spencer shout at him, making an open threat to run away, calling this woman a shrew, all of it was so unlike the youth that it left Derek speechless for just a beat. He recovered quickly, though. "Go wait in the car, Spencer." Maybe not the best response, but it was really the best he could come up with. He tossed Spencer the keys and watched in stunned silence as Spencer flew out of the room like some furious whirlwind. The main door snapped shut behind him with a loud crack that had more than a few people wincing.

Shock was wearing off and Derek's own temper was sliding to the forefront. It wasn't that hard to guess the main issue from what Spencer had said. Turning back to the woman, Derek's expression cooled until it was that cold mask that was usually reserved for some of their worse Unsubs. "Dr. Truelove? Could I have a word with you?" He asked in a tone that was just as hard as his expression.

The shock came back stronger than ever when Michelle Truelove actually curled her lip up and looked at him with open disgust before saying "I have nothing to say to you, or to that _thing_. Don't bring him back here, Mr. Morgan. I help treat _children_, not _mutants_." She spat that last word out like it was the foulest curse. Then she spun on her heel and snapped her office door shut, leaving Derek standing there staring with his mouth hanging open slightly in disbelief. It helped to see that he wasn't the only one stunned. The receptionist looked just as shocked as he did and the woman waiting there with her teenage daughter actually gathered her daughter up and scowled over at the door before walking away. She stopped by Derek and he could see that she wanted to say something, the sympathy in her eyes was so strong, but she the kind woman simply reached over and patted his arm, murmuring a low "I'm so sorry. I hope your boy is okay." Then she and her daughter were gone.

Was this seriously what Spencer encountered everywhere? Was this how people treated him? Like he was nothing, or something that wasn't even human? The idea baffled him. How the hell could anyone look at Spencer and see anything but a poor kid who'd so obviously had a hard life? Derek looked at him and he wanted nothing more than to gather Spencer up and just kind of wrap around him and protect him from every bad thing that seemed to come his way. He wanted to hold on to him and tell him that it was all going to be okay now, that he was safe. Only he had a feeling any attempt would only send Spencer running far and fast. And was it any wonder? Derek was starting to get a glimpse at what the youth's life had been like and it was leaving him with a sick feeling coating his stomach.

It broke his heart a little more when he finally got outside to his car. Spencer was sitting in the passenger's seat and he'd curled his body into as tight of a ball as he possibly could. It had to hurt to do that. Derek knew that Spencer's bruises were still there. He wasn't in the best of health yet and his body, the doctor had warned, would take longer to heal from some things than most. Bruises would take a little longer to go away. Those bruises had to be throbbing right now. Spencer had his knees up to his chest and his arms around his waist. He'd made himself as tiny of a target as possible and was curled in just right to protect all the vital organs. His face was even tucked down against his knees. Whether it was intentional or instinctive, it was still heartbreaking to see. All the temper was gone out of his body. What Derek could read there now was pain and fear and he hated seeing that. Hated it so damn much. He hadn't seen Spencer look this upset since they'd been at the hospital and he'd stopped speaking.

Derek held in a sigh as he made his way over to the car. It was almost positive that Spencer wasn't going to be speaking now, either. Silence seemed to be one of his automatic defenses. The more upset he got, the quieter he became. _And the bigger his need for personal space gets_, Derek tacked on as he slipped into the driver's seat and he saw Spencer lean away from him.

Even if Spencer wasn't up for speaking right now, there were a few things that Derek had to say before they went anywhere, and he started out by saying the most important one of all. "I'm sorry, Spencer." Hands on the wheel, he turned to look over at the boy beside him, hoping Spencer could see and feel just how much he meant what he was saying. "I don't know what she said to you, and I hope you'll feel comfortable enough at some point to tell me, but I can promise you that I won't ever try to make you go back and see her. And I'll also promise that I'll call the next psychologist before we go to make sure that they're mutant friendly. I'm not going to put you through something like that again."

He wasn't really surprised when Spencer didn't say anything. Heart aching, he watched his young charge for a moment longer. Then he let out a soft sigh and faced forward once more. There was nothing that he could do to take back whatever it was that that woman in there had said or done. All he could do was try to take care of the fallout. That meant getting Spencer home, first and foremost, and if he had to let the kid hide out in his room for a while so he could feel safe, then so be it. While he did that, maybe Derek would give Penelope a call. The woman would be furious at what happened, and if she decided to exact a little virtual revenge, well, who was he to complain?


	4. Getting to Know the Locals

On the second day after that incident in the psychologist's office was the day that Derek had to go back to work. As was becoming normal, Spencer was already awake when Derek got up. He was sitting cross-legged on the couch reading a book when he heard the man start to make his way down the hall towards the kitchen. Spencer split his focus between the book and listening to Derek, just out of habit. It was always good to know where everyone around you was at and to have a general idea of what they were doing. That was a very important survival skill that he'd learned back in elementary school. Being the nerdy kid reading on the playground invited its fair share of trouble. It paid to know where people were around you. That skill had only grown stronger after his time on the streets.

He heard as Derek finally reached the coffee pot and there was a moment's pause before he heard movement start again. A corner of Spencer's mouth quirked up while he listened to Derek preparing his cup of coffee. Then the noise stopped and there was the sound of Derek's soft footfalls as he made his way from the kitchen to the living room. Flicking his eyes up, Spencer saw Derek settling down into the comfortable chair by the couch that the young genius had already come to realize was Derek's favorite seat in the house. He sat there all the time to drink his coffee, read his paper, read a book, talk on the phone, watch movies, and countless other things.

Derek looked up overtop his mug and flashed Spencer a smile when he caught him looking. "Morning, kid."

"Morning." Spencer murmured.

Lifting his cup, Derek gestured towards him with it. "Thanks for the coffee. You didn't have to do it."

He shrugged one shoulder and settled back a little better into the corner of the couch. "It's not a big deal. I was up." No need to mention just how little sleep he'd actually gotten. Sleeping through the dark night was still difficult for him. Today he'd make sure to catch a few hours once Derek was at work. He'd be able to lock down the door, put the security system on, and curl up safely in his bedroom without any worry or anyone disturbing him.

"Well, for the record, you make a damn good cup of coffee." Derek complimented. He gave another small smile before he, too, got comfortable in his seat.

The two settled down into the relaxed silence that they'd slowly been discovering with one another. It was strange for Spencer, who wasn't used to this kind of relaxation with another adult. He kept finding himself starting to relax and then tensing back up all over again when he realized just how much he was relaxing. Letting his guard down around an adult was a quick way to get in trouble. The ways that he found himself starting to relax around Derek, to _want_ to relax, quite frankly scared him a little. They'd only known one another a short time. Trusting Derek so early on would just be stupid. Hadn't life taught him that? But at the same time, his mind kept bringing up Gabe's words to him, his request that Spencer give Derek a chance, his insistence that he was a good guy. Gabe had never steered him wrong before. Shouldn't he trust him now?

A pang hit Spencer's heart at the thought of his friend. He missed him. And since coming here, so far he hadn't seen a single spirit. Oh, he felt them out there, the same as he always did. There was always this _awareness_ in his mind that told him that there were spirits around. If he wanted he could make himself comfortable in his bed or maybe meditating on the floor and he'd be able to reach out and better feel the spirits around him. He could talk to them without having to go search them out around town. If he stretched even more, he could reach the Between and there would be so many more spirits there. Spirits that were trapped on earth, who roamed the Between, or who weren't strong enough to go to their rest. Gabe had told him once that he actually had the strength, if he pushed hard enough, to call back those who had already gone to their rest. "_There are clairvoyants out there who do it accidentally all the time when they reach out to ask questions of the 'other side'. They do it without meaning to. You have the ability to do it intentionally._"

Of course, Spencer had never tried. The idea of that much power scared the hell out of him. Besides, why would he want to pull someone from their rest? Why would he want to disturb whatever peace was found in the afterlife?

Spencer didn't realize just how deep into his thoughts he'd fallen, or how thinking about his powers had actually brought them to the forefront of his mind, until he looked over when Derek moved and the first thing he saw was the man's light, not his body. For the most part Spencer kept himself from really paying too much attention to a person's inner light, their soul. He could always see them—_always_. But it felt like such a private thing. Invasive, even. So generally he tried to dim down that part of his awareness and focus on the actual person. This time he'd been too caught up in his thoughts about spirits that his usual safeguards weren't in place. He looked at Derek and the man's light was the only thing he could see for a moment. He looked at it and was reminded what had sparked him to start to trust this man to begin with, way back at that crime scene. The strength and goodness that just shown out of him. There were hints of dark here and there, but that didn't mean that he was bad. It wasn't as simple as that. Not everything dark on us is a sign of bad things we've done. Sometimes, they're bad things that have been done to us.

He blinked his eyes and his usual shields slipped back down into place. The light dulled down and that awareness faded away again until he saw Derek, the person, not the soul. It all took just the span of a few heartbeats. Derek didn't even notice anything off. He just went into the kitchen like Spencer hadn't been staring and there came the sounds of running water, most likely him rinsing out his coffee cup. Spencer took the time before Derek came back to make sure that he had himself under control. His calm mask was back in place by the time Derek entered the room again, dressed and ready for work.

The profiler stopped by the couch and looked down at Spencer, emotions dancing across his face. Spencer carefully folded the book in his lap and looked up at the man.

Derek blew out a breath and the other emotions on his face wiped away underneath a smile. "All right, I've got to head to work. Hotch said they'd give me a day or two to settle in, so we shouldn't be taking a case today, but I've got backlogged paperwork, so I'll just grab some dinner for us on the way home, all right?"

"Okay." Spencer resisted the urge to furrow his eyebrows curiously. Why on earth was Derek checking his schedule with him? It wasn't like Spencer was actually going to say 'No, don't do that' or anything of the like. He was the kid here and Derek was the adult. He knew better than to argue any plans that were made.

There was a small hesitation on Derek's face and then the smile was back, ab it more rueful this time, kind of like he was a bit amused with himself and his own thoughts. "Look, I know you probably have plans to go explore or something today, and I know telling you to stay inside is ridiculous. I can't lock you in here and force you to stay here where I know you're safe. All I can do is ask that you be careful, Spencer, and remember the places we talked about that you should avoid. Try to stick to the safer parts of town. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Well that hadn't been what he'd been expecting. Derek wasn't trying to demand he stay here? He just—wanted Spencer safe. That put a strange feeling down low in Spencer's stomach that he didn't quite recognize. Unsure what that was, and unsure how to react to this, he dropped his eyes down to the folded book on his lap. "I'll try." It was all he could give him. There was no way he could promise anything more and they both knew it.

Sighing, Derek ran a hand over his head. "All right. I'll take what I can get." He gave Spencer a slightly crooked grin that had Spencer wanting to smile in return. Then he reached back into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "If you're gonna be wandering around, you'll need this." He held out a card and some cash. Spencer looked at them with surprise, not quite sure what to think. The card, he could see, was a bus card. He looked up curiously at Derek, who just kept holding them out. "The bus card is an all access pass, so you're good on the busses for a month, and the cash is for if you want some lunch or something while you're out."

If he noticed how hesitantly Spencer took the items, he didn't comment on it. He just flashed another smile and then moved over to the closet by the door to grab his coat. "There's a key ring here on the hook by the door for you." Derek called out from the closet. He pulled back out, coat in hand, and shut the door. "It's got the house key on it. Make sure you don't lose that. It's the only copy I've got. Remember to lock up when you leave and to take your cell phone with you." Yesterday while they'd been out, Derek had surprised Spencer by stopping off and adding him to his phone plan and getting him a phone of his own. For emergencies, he was told, and so Derek could feel a little safer.

"Yes, sir."

Derek looked up as he zipped up his jacket and he flashed that amused smile of his that always made Spencer want to smile back at him. "Oh don't even start that 'sir' business with me. I'm having a hard enough time breaking you of calling me Agent. Let's not add 'sir' in there too."

A laugh tickled at the back of Spencer's throat, catching him off guard. He swallowed it down before it could escape, though his lips did twitch slightly. "Okay."

"Good." Flashing another grin, Derek grabbed his own keys off the hook near the door. "I'm out, then. Make sure Clooney gets to go out before you leave and that he's inside while you're gone. Be safe and have a good day, kid!" And with that, Derek was out the door.

Spencer just sat there on the couch and listened as Derek's car started up and then pulled out of the drive. He couldn't pin down the emotions that were fluttering around inside of him. That whole thing had just felt so…normal. Relaxed. No stress, no arguments, no demands. He'd been worried that Derek would try and restrict him here to the house. Not that he could enforce it, of course. Not unless he locked Spencer up the way that Gil used to. Still, he'd expected Derek to try and tell him to stick around the house, to put some sort of rules on him. That's what guardians did, right? Teenagers weren't typically allowed to just wander around. Spencer couldn't quite decide if he was bothered by Derek letting him run around so freely or if he appreciated it. Did Derek not care about him running around? Or did he understand that Spencer had survived just fine these past few years and wouldn't appreciate being locked down and restricted?

The click of nails on the floor warned him of Clooney's arrival. The dog came up to the couch and dropped his head right into Spencer's lap, looking up at him so mournfully that Spencer couldn't hold in his soft chuckle. His worried mood fell away. No point in worrying and wondering about things. Fact of the matter was, he had freedom, and he was going to use it. At least, once he took care of some things here. Like getting a few hours of sleep. First, though… "Okay, Clooney. Let's take you outside."

The dog lifted his head and let out a happy bark.

* * *

><p>Wandering around DC was quite a bit different than wandering around Vegas. For one thing, there weren't nearly as many bright flashing lights. Spencer was used to the glam and glitz that Vegas presented. Even during the daytime, you could always find something around you that flashed or sparkled or stood out from the crowd, playing it up for the tourists that were never in short supply. Here in DC he seemed to be seeing lots of men and women in suits in the main parts of town. Then again, it was just thirteen after noon, so all the business folks were probably out to get themselves some lunch.<p>

That's what Spencer was doing, too. He was sitting down at a McDonalds, eating his cheeseburger and staring out the window at all the people that went past. He'd been out and about for a few hours now and he'd already started to build a pretty good mental map. The back areas, the parts of town that were a little rougher—basically, the places that Derek had warned him to stay away from—had been the only real familiar thing around here. Gangs seem to run the same all over. It hadn't taken long, just some questions and a bit of the cash in his pocket, and he'd found out who to avoid, who was located where, and what parts of town a mutant should avoid if they didn't want to end up getting killed. That was one of the first things he asked after. He'd been sure that DC wouldn't be any different than Vegas in having strong anti-mutant people. Sure enough, they had a gang that was hard on mutants, and Spencer made a strong mental note to avoid that part of town.

One big difference he was finding was that it was a whole hell of a lot colder here. He had on a t-shirt, a long sleeved shirt and a hoodie, and he still felt like he was hunched down in it just to try and stay a little warm while he wandered around town.

Finished with his lunch, Spencer cast a quick look at the overcast sky and stifled a scowl before he made his way back outside. MLK Jr. Memorial Library was just a few blocks down the road and that was his next destination. No real surprise there. That was number one on his places that he wanted to go to. He was halfway there when the cell phone in his pocket rang. He pulled it out, amusement touching his lips. Derek had held out longer than he'd thought before calling to check on him. He didn't really mind the fact that he was being checked up on. Instead of bothering him, it felt kind of nice, in a strange sort of way. He couldn't remember the last time someone had checked on him. His small smile was still on his lips when he pressed the button to answer and brought the phone up to his ear. "Hello."

"_Hey, kid._"

"Hello, agent." Spencer said smoothly. A little hint of his humor leaked on through and he couldn't resist teasing, just the slightest bit. "I'm still alive and well, with all body parts and no new bruises, except for the one Clooney gave me this morning when he got a little exuberant at breakfast and bumped me into the counter."

For a short beat there was silence and Spencer worried that he'd pressed just a little too far. Then Derek's deep chuckle came over the line and he relaxed at the sound. "_Smart ass._" The two words were said with fondness, taking any sting out of them. "_All right, I get it, you're fine. Can't blame me for checking in though, right?_"

"Nope. I fully expected it."

"_Good. Cause I'll probably do it a lot. Would you believe people try and tell me I'm overprotective?_"

Thinking of everything he'd seen since he'd met the profiler, it wasn't hard to see how people would get that image. "You do seem to have a rather large protective streak in you, agent. The average person wouldn't exactly befriend and bring home a street hustler they've known for a few days simply because they wanted to 'help'."

"_Again with the 'agent'. I'll get you to call me Derek yet, just you see._" Derek teased him.

Spencer just gave a soft hum in answer. He knew Derek wanted him to use his name and, really, he tried to remember. But the word 'agent' seemed to slip out so much easier most of the time.

Derek didn't linger on it or give him time to wonder and worry if he'd upset the man. "_So what are you up to, kid? Anything fun_?"

"I'm on my way to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library right now."

"_Somehow, I'm not really all that surprised. Well, I know they don't like people jabbering on cell phones in there, so I'll let you go. Don't stay out too late or anything, all right?_"

Secure in the fact that Derek couldn't see him, Spencer gave in to the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't push his luck, though. "I won't."

The two said their goodbyes and Spencer silenced and then pocketed the phone just as he was entering the large library.

He had to agree with Derek; it was no real surprise that his wanderings led him to the library. For the first time in a long time he was able to go in one without the fear that someone was going to find him in there and take him away. It was actually okay for him to come in here without watching over his shoulder the whole time for police officers. He still watched over his shoulder, of course. That was a habit that he doubted would go away anytime soon. But it wasn't with the same level of fear that was usually there. He relaxed, just the slightest bit, and immersed himself in a world that he always loved—literature.

Fifteen minutes after he came in, he had a stack of books in his arms and was tucking himself into a chair in the back corner, a secluded place that allowed him a view all around him so that no one would be able to sneak up on him, and which offered three quick and easy exits. As secure as he could be, he pulled one of the books up into his lap and opened the cover to the first page. Then, with a smile, he lost himself in the world created on those pages.

* * *

><p>Hours passed by pleasantly for Spencer. It was the most relaxed, enjoyable afternoon he'd had in such a long time. He probably would've stayed there long, most likely until someone came along to shoo him out, if it hadn't been for someone coming over and talking to him. He didn't hear the person come up, something that stunned him at first because he'd thought he was paying close attention, but he did hear when they let out a low chuckle and said "<em>It's a pleasure to see someone so young who so obviously enjoys a good book<em>."

Spencer's head shot up and he quickly sought out the source of the voice. His whole body was tensed, ready to run, an instinctive response when cornered this way. What he found had him relaxing. The voice belonged to a man who was sitting in the chair across from him. He looked like he was maybe in his fifties, early sixties at the oldest, with a full head of white hair that was pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He dressed like quite a few older gentlemen that Spencer had met, in comfortable looking slacks and a button up shirt. A long black jacket was draped over the arm the chair. The man looked completely relaxed, a broad smile creating lines on his face and around a pair of brown eyes that seemed to sparkle with something that Spencer might've dared to call mischief. And, most importantly, he was a spirit.

The man smiled at Spencer in a way that suggested he knew he'd just been looked over and he didn't mind in the least bit. "_My name's Micah. It's nice to finally meet someone who can see me so clearly._"

No matter what he'd turned in to during his time on the streets, Spencer had been raised to treat his elders with respect, and those manners had him responding without even having to think about it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Micah. I'm Spencer."

"_So polite. I'd heard that you were a kind soul. I'm glad to see they were right._"

That had Spencer sitting up a little straighter. "You've heard?" Where had he heard that from? _How_ had he heard that?

Micah looked amused by his confusion. He crossed his legs so that his ankle rested on the opposite knee and he settled back into the chair with the air of someone who was getting comfortable in preparation for a long conversation. "_There's information out there to be found for those that know how to listen and look. Word of a strong young necromancer, untrained yet powerful, travels quickly and loudly in many circles._"

"I'm not sure I like that." Spencer chewed on his bottom lip and dropped his eyes down towards the book still sitting in his lap. The idea that there were people out there talking about him made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to be on anyone's radar. He didn't want their attention. Attention from people usually led to trouble and trouble was exactly what Spencer wanted to avoid.

"_Which part? That you are known, or that your power is known_?"

"Either. Both. I'm not anything special. I'm just a mutant, just like countless other people out there."

The fond look that Micah gave him was so reminiscent of Gabe that Spencer felt it close his throat off for a moment. "_I don't know if I should applaud you for your modesty, or mourn for the life you've live that would make you think so little about yourself. Both options, I can see, make you uncomfortable. I will settle instead for assuring you that you are indeed special to many out there. To those you have granted rest, to their families, and to those of us that choose to stay here. It has been a long time since we've had a true lord amongst us._"

The heat in Spencer's cheeks grew even brighter. He shifted around in his seat, not quite sure what to say here. This wasn't the first time that a spirit had spoken to him this way but it never made it any easier. It always felt strange and awkward. They acted like he was going to be something big and important and he had no idea how to tell them that they had the wrong person. There was no way he was something important to anyone except for maybe his Mom.

"_I've embarrassed you._" Micah said apologetically. "_That wasn't my intention._"

"It's fine." It really wasn't, and he was extremely embarrassed, but there was no reason that he had to be rude and say that. He could get out of there, though. He needed to get out of there. This whole conversation had touched on things that Spencer had heard before and that he tried so very hard to not ever think of. Talks with Gabe about his powers, about what they could do and what they meant, and about what might wait in his future. Pushing back those thoughts, Spencer gathered together the books he held and he pushed up to his feet. "My apologies, sir, but I really should be getting home. My guardian is going to be home before too long and I told him I wouldn't stay out too late."

To his credit, Micah didn't comment on the very obvious retreat. He dipped his head in acknowledgement and smiled at him. "_Of course. I sincerely hope you'll come back and talk with me again, Spencer. You look like quite the book lover and I'd love to sit and discuss literature with you. I haven't had a decent debate in quite a long time. Something tells me you'd be able to keep up._"

With a promise to return, Spencer turned tail and hurried far away from this man with his ancient eyes and his too perceptive words.


	5. Hookers and Daleks and Cookies, oh my!

So the next chapter idea/prompt that I had was for his first night staying at Garcia's. Remember, this story is set up with themed chapters, not a full on account of his first year with Derek but a highlight of the important moments. And don't forget that if there's any chapter theme you want to see, any part of that year that you want, either PM me on here and let me know, or you can find me on Facebook under 'Jay Foret' and let me know there. I take in all suggestions and I'll add them to my outline. I've got a few chapter themes so far and I'm always willing to add more so long as you guys are willing to keep reading them!

Spencer had been living with Derek for just shy of three weeks when the man went out on his first case. They'd talked about this and prepared for it during the time that Spencer had been here. He knew what would happen while Derek was on cases and he knew what to expect. He was considered too young to just stay at home on his own for a few nights while Derek was gone so he'd have to spend his nights at Penelope's place. Though she was a part of the team and she'd be working the case too, she still went home at night to get some sleep and a shower. With her having a minor to care for, Derek said that the Bureau would make sure she got her nights at home free, even if it meant bringing her work home with her sometimes. Spencer worried about inconveniencing her, but Derek insisted that this was what she wanted to do and that she'd been the one to suggest it.

When Derek's call came in, Spencer was at the library, as was becoming common during his afternoons. Tucked back into a rather private corner of the library, mostly hidden from view until you were right upon it, Spencer had a chessboard set up and looked to be playing against himself, at least to the eyes of the other library patrons. If anyone had looked a little closer, they might've noticed that some of the pieces occasionally moved by themselves.

When his call was finished, Spencer set his cell phone down on the table beside the chessboard, shaking his head ever so slightly.

"_Is everything all right?_"

Micah was sitting back in his chair and watching Spencer with a concerned air. Though the two had gotten off to a slightly shaky start that first day they'd met, Spencer had still come back, and the two had built the start of a friendship. They played chess together, discussed literature and life in DC and countless other things. So long as they didn't touch on talking about Spencer's powers, they were fine. That was a hands-off topic. Spencer had been very clear on that.

"Everything's fine." Spencer answered. He leaned forward, eyes on the board to plot out his next move. He saw what he wanted and smiled, moving his piece, and then sat back in his chair and looked up at his companion. "The team has a case, so he was letting me know that Garcia will pick me up on her way home tonight."

A hint of his annoyance showed through in his tone and Micah picked up on it easily. "_You don't sound too happy about that._" He said, never taking his eyes off the chessboard.

"It's not that I'm unhappy about it." Spencer paused as a patron passed them by. He waited until he was sure the woman was out of hearing distance before he continued. "It just feels strange, that's all. I lived on my own for quite a while now in an abandoned apartment building in a bad part of town, yet now I'm not even allowed to spend a few nights home alone in a regular house with a security system in a good neighborhood. It doesn't make any sense to me."

"_The law says that you're too young, my young friend._"

A small scowl touched Spencer's face. "Age itself shouldn't be a factor. Intelligence, maturity, capability—those should be the determining factors. There are people I've met who were grown adults that I wouldn't trust to be alone by themselves without worrying that they'd burn down the house, and there are preteens I've met who could not only take care of themselves, but others as well. Physical age isn't a proper indicator of someone's capability to handle responsibility."

"_Just because someone's capable of doing something, doesn't mean that they should._" Micah countered. He moved his rook, smiling a little when he set the piece down. Leaning back in his chair, he lifted amused eyes to Spencer's face. "_My children were perfectly capable of cooking and cleaning at a young age, yet that didn't mean that they took over those chores. My wife and I still took care of them. Children are capable of many things, Spencer, especially when pressed into such extreme circumstances as you found yourself in. But just because they can do those things doesn't mean that the adults in their lives should let them. Children should be free to be children._"

"I stopped being a child years ago." Spencer murmured.

They were both quiet for a moment while Spencer pretended to contemplate his next move. His eyes weren't seeing the board, though. Too many memories sat in the way. But he held the pretense, keeping his eyes locked on his white pieces while he tried to bring some order to his mind. He was so caught in that, he wasn't prepared for the next question that Micah asked, and it threw him for a bit of a loop.

"_Is it that you honestly don't want their help, or that you're afraid that it's going to be taken away if you start to rely on it_?"

His words struck a chord inside of Spencer. He flinched, and then looked up through a small screen of hair. "You aren't afraid of asking those tough questions, are you?" He asked dryly.

Micah smiled at him. "_We can never have answers without first asking questions_."

The quiet stretched around them as the two men silently stared at one another. A soft shiver ran down Spencer when he drew in a steadying breath. "I think that's enough for today." He said softly. His expression shifted to that neutral one that showed nothing of what he felt inside. When he reached out to start gathering up the books that sat beside him, his hands very deliberately did _not _shake. Lifting the books to his chest, he rose from his chair and gave Micah a very polite nod. "Thank you for a great game, Micah."

"_Until the next time, young Reid._" Micah said. He didn't stop Spencer, didn't call him on the fact that he was running—and they both knew he was. He just sat there and watched as Spencer walked casually away. When the young genius was out of sight, the spirit slowly faded away.

CXCX

Though Spencer had walked away without answering Micah's question, it didn't mean that he didn't think about it. It stayed with him for the rest of the afternoon and was still plaguing him when Penelope showed up to pick him up. However, once he was in her car and they were heading down the road, staying lost in thought wasn't really an option anymore. Penelope, he was quickly learning, was a _talker_. She didn't even wait until he was fully in her car before she started talking. "Hey, sweetness!" She greeted him brightly while he opened the car door. "Are you ready for a night of fun?"

Why did that question worry him and yet make him want to smile all at the same time? He settled on what he thought might be a safe answer. "Yes, ma'am."

"Oh no-no." She lifted a finger and waggled it at him while he buckled in. "Derek warned me you'd be a stickler about those titles. Well we're just gonna break that, you and I, and you're gonna call me Penny. I see us becoming good friends and my friends don't call me ma'am or miss or anything like that."

The words were said with a bright grin and an infectious little laugh. Spencer couldn't help how his lips quirked up ever so slightly. He kept quiet, though, not quite sure what to say, and that seemed to be okay. Penelope didn't seem to have any problem either carrying the conversation by herself, or sitting quietly here and there. It kind of reminded Spencer of being with Derek. The profiler never seemed to have any issue when Spencer went silent on him. In fact, more than once he'd let Spencer know that it was okay and that he didn't have to say anything if he didn't want to. No one else had ever been that laid back about it. Everyone always tried to get him to talk. Even his mom, bless her, had tried to get him to talk when he'd been a quiet kid. But it was always easy to talk to her and he hadn't had the experiences back then that had taught him to stay silent. But cops, therapists, doctors, social workers, all of them were always so keen on trying to get Spencer to open up, to talk, even just that inane casual conversation that he never really could seem to get the hang of. None of them ever just let him be quiet. Not until Derek. And now, apparently, Penelope.

They stopped along the way to pick up what Penelope promised was "the best Thai food in town" and Spencer had to admit that it smelled rather good. When they reached an apartment building, she parked her car and the two climbed out. Spencer had a single bag that he tossed over his shoulder and some of their food held in one hand. His attention, though, was on the building. More specifically, the energy he felt in the building.

He heard Penelope move up beside him and stand at his side. She didn't touch him, didn't try to move him along. She just stood there and looked at the building with him. Something about that steady presence there, the way she didn't push and didn't ask, actually prompted him to speak for the first time in almost twenty minutes now. "You have a ghost here." He said softly, eyes running over the building. He opened himself up just a little, let his other senses extend, and a very tiny smile touched his lips. "A slightly vexed one."

"You can see ghosts?"

That question had Spencer turning towards her with a surprised look on his face. Hadn't Derek told her? Spencer had just assumed…adults talked about things, right? "Agent Morgan didn't tell you?" Spencer had been so sure he would. Just because, well, that's what people did, and because Spencer was going to be staying here with her. Wouldn't Derek want to warn her?

Penelope's smile softened just a little and her eyes warmed even more. "Oh, baby doll, Morgan's not going to go around telling your secrets. If you tell him something, he's not going to go spilling the beans, not even to me. Not unless it's extremely important. Even then, he'd check with you first and make sure you were okay with it."

"I just thought he'd warn you."

"Warn me? Why? Is it dangerous?" Her smile faded away and he was stunned to see honest to God worry in her eyes. "Does it hurt you or drain you to talk to them?"

He shook his head quickly. "Not normally, no. Just talking is easy."

"Well, then, I'm not worried. Come on, let's head inside before our food gets cold, and you can tell me about this ghost we have here…"

What was it about Derek and his friends that made them react so differently to anyone else that Spencer had ever known? He'd become pretty proficient over the years at being able to read people and their reactions to things. Yet Derek and his friends all seemed to just throw out everything that Spencer knew. They never reacted the way he expected. He never would've guessed that Penelope would not only be so easy going about this whole thing, but _eager_ about it. She didn't just let it go like Derek had, with only minimal questions. She kept up a steady stream of questions on the way upstairs and wasn't at all deterred when he just shrugged for some. She also didn't ask the questions he would've thought she would. She didn't ask about his strength, didn't want to know if he was powerful. She was more eager to know just how many spirits there were in the world.

"Are they all just stuck here, then?" She asked, coming to a stop outside of a door and pulling out her keys.

"Some do get stuck." Spencer admitted. He adjusted the strap of his bag and followed in after her once she got the door open. His very first thought when he stepped into Penelope's apartment was that he had never seen a space before that so perfectly suited its owner. Each time he'd seen Penelope so far she had been in happy colors, bright and cheerful, and with that bright light of her soul in her that seemed to just spill out all over the place. Her apartment was just as cheerful. Bright colors, bold patterns, a place that was both unique and fun with some of that almost childlike joy for things that she exuded. There were purple walls and beaded lamps and flowers all over and strings of light here and there. The beads that separated her bedroom from the rest of the place made him smile. He all at once felt a bit more relaxed and more at ease as he stepped in here.

Penelope didn't seem to notice his reaction. She walked over to the table and put her keys in a little wicker basket there. She looked over her shoulder and saw him standing in the doorway still and gestured him in with one hand. "Come on, bring those on over. Don't be shy. Just make yourself at home here. I know it's probably a bit much for a guy like you, but we can set you up a sort of boy-space if you'd like for when you're here."

Shutting the door, Spencer took another look around before moving towards the table. He set down the food and gave Penelope a little shy half-smile. "I like it. It suits you."

She beamed brightly at him. "Thank you. I take that as a huge compliment." Then she stunned him completely by reaching out and plucking his sunglasses right off his face. She tossed them down on the table and then very deliberately met his shocked stare. "This is a no-hiding zone." She told him firmly. "No one covers up who they are here. My space is a place where everyone is free to be who they are, no matter how geeky, nerdy, or strange that is. Besides, you've got gorgeous eyes, sugar plum. Don't ever let anyone tell you any different." Reaching out again, she patted his cheek much like his mother had done before. "Now, why don't we go ahead and get in comfortable clothes, serve up some of this delicious smelling food, and we can sit down and watch a movie and then have some cookies I made."

She turned around and headed back towards her bedroom. When she came back out a few minutes later in pajama pants covered in these weird gold things and a shirt that said 'Bad Wolf' in graffiti, he was still standing there, not quite sure what to make of this insanely wonderful woman who was proving to have a personality that matched the beauty of her soul.

Penelope grabbed some soda from the fridge, a couple plates and some silverware, and she brought them over, handing one of the plates to him. "Here, just help yourself."

What else could he do? He took the plate from her and found himself serving up an amount that would've made Derek beam at him. He hadn't meant to take so much but somehow he ended up with these big mounds on his plate anyways. He decided to just roll with it. What else could he do? Penelope was just one surprise after another and a person could only take so many surprises before they either ran away or went ahead and just went along for the ride. Running away wasn't an option, not here, so Spencer gave a mental shrug of his shoulders and just let himself get caught up in the happy, energetic aura that this peppy woman carried around her.

She led him to her couch and he took one corner while she set her plate on the coffee table. Then she handed him a drink and grinned. "All right, what do you want to watch? I've got Rom-Coms, comedies…um, I got the new season of Doctor Who! We could watch that, if you're into it."

"Who's Doctor Who?" Spencer asked.

A light lit Penelope's eyes and her grin grew even wider. "Oh, sweet pea, let me introduce you to the greatest show on earth."

CXCX

The next morning Penelope was halfway to her office when the call she'd been waiting for finally came in. She saw Derek's name on the screen and let out a low laugh before answering. "You held out a lot longer than I thought you would, gorgeous." She teased him.

She was rewarded with one of his warm laughs. "_I've got some self-control, mama._"

"Now doesn't that just sound promising?" The flirting came as natural as breathing when she talked with him. It put a smile on both their faces. Cradling her phone between shoulder and ear, she adjusted her bag and punched in the code to get to her lair. "Well let me save you the trouble of asking the oodles of questions I'm sure you have. Spencer and I were just fine last night. He was at the house when I got there and we went home, had some Thai and I introduced him to the greatness that is Doctor Who. We had to start at the beginning, though, so he's still got a long ways to go, but I think I caught his fancy. He's got all the makings of a Whovian, let me tell you what."

"_Good Lord, woman. One night and you're corrupting him._"

She grinned as she set her bag down in its usual spot and then made her way over to her computers. Quick fingers got them all on and booting up even as she continued to talk. Despite her smile, she made her tone mock-stern. "Now wait just a minute. A delicious chocolate morsel you may be, but no one gets away with mocking the Who, Derek Morgan, so you mind your tongue."

That earned her another of those laughs she so loved to hear. "_Oh, well, please forgive me._"

"Well, just this once, but don't do it again."

"_So everything went okay, then? No problems last night or this morning?_"

"Nope." She slid down into her chair and ran her fingers over the keys to get a few programs running. "He's probably still sleeping, actually. He looked like he wanted to sleep more when I left. We stayed up pretty late last night and he was still watching Doctor Who when I went to sleep."

"_He's probably sleeping, then. The kid's still mostly nocturnal. He has issues sleeping with other people there. It's a good thing right now, I guess. Helps him pass the day without you there._"

"Oh, he's got Lulu for company." Penelope reassured him.

"_Lulu_?"

Oh, that was right! He didn't know what she was talking about. She sat back in her chair and grinned. This was going to be entertaining. "Mm hm. My ghost. Did you know I have a ghost? Apparently she's been living in my apartment for a long time. She's really nice, though. She used to be a high class prostitute. She kept trying to flirt with Spencer and making him blush."

There was a long beat of silence and she could just picture the stunned look on Derek's face. When he spoke, though, he wasn't shocked about the ghost like she'd thought he'd be—he was shocked about something else entirely. "_He told you what he can do? He _showed_you?"_

"Yeah." Suddenly a little worried, she bit her lip. "Is that a bad thing?"

_"__No! No, Garcia, that's…it's amazing. When he told me, he said that he doesn't tell anyone. So the fact that he told you, that's great! It means he's opening up some_."

"He's a sweet kid, Derek. He's shy, and scared, but he's really sweet. I can see why you had to help him." She thought of the way he'd looked last night, so enraptured by the television show, and the shy way he'd offered to take her plate for her and put it in the sink. And how he'd ended up washing the dishes while he was in there—including a few she'd had left in the sink from breakfast. She remembered the way he'd sat most of the night with his hair sheltering his face because she'd taken away his other form of hiding, and how by the end of the night he'd actually looked up at her once without the hair in the way and he'd given her this shy little smile that went straight to her heart. "I don't know how anyone could ever hurt him. He's one of the sweetest kids I've ever met."

"_Yeah, he is_." Derek agreed. His voice was soft, that low tone he took when things were important. "_He's a good kid, he's just a little broken right now. But we're gonna help him with that. He just needs people to remind him that he's worth caring about and to let him know that he's safe now. We give him that, I think the rest will fall into place._"

"I can do that." Penelope said firmly. She'd make it her mission.

Derek gave another chuckle, this one warm and loving. "_With you on the case, Garcia, the bad stuff doesn't stand a chance._"


	6. Dinner at JJ's

Before he left, Derek had gathered information on the local colleges for Spencer, things for him to look at. He'd done it so offhand that Spencer still wasn't quite sure what to think of it. He'd just come out for breakfast one morning and the folder had been on the table and Derek had oh-so-casually told him that there was information on the colleges in there if he wanted to review them and maybe see what he'd be interested in. Then, despite the stunned shock on Spencer's face, he'd finished rinsing out his cup in the sink and had walked past Spencer, lightly clapping his shoulder before announcing he had to hurry out the door to go to work. Just like it was normal to leave college information out. Like it was no big deal. That had made Spencer like him just a little more.

He'd brought those papers with him to Penelope's and had looked at them off and on through the day. When she came home, he was seated at the kitchen table drinking a glass of water and looking through the information on George Washington University. The sound of her key in the lock was enough to have Spencer's head shooting up. His whole body instinctively braced for trouble and only relaxed when he saw who it was. Discreetly, he pulled his hand away from his boot, not even having realized that he'd reached for the knife he kept there. He was just sliding his heel back off the seat of the chair when Penelope fully stepped inside. She greeted him with a broad smile. "Hey, Spencer! You look like you've kept busy."

He looked down at the papers in front of him and then back up at the cheerful woman who was currently shedding her bag and coat. He offered her a small smile and a little shrug in answer.

Just like she had proved last night, his silence didn't bother Penelope. She didn't try and force him to elaborate on it or anything of the like. She just smiled and nodded as if his shrug had been answer enough. Then she made her way over to him. "Well, I've got some good news. The team's on their way home, should be here within the hour."

Tipping his head up once she was close, Spencer gave her his small, shy little half smile. To his complete surprise she reached out and stroked a hand over his hair, not even seeming to mind the small little flinch he gave. "We're all going to gather over at JJ's for some after case decompression. Meaning, pizza and beer for the adults, and pizza and soda for the kids. Why don't you go ahead and get your stuff together while I grab a shower, hm?"

Dinner over at JJ's? Spencer contemplated that while he was getting ready. If the whole team was getting together, that would mean that there'd be a lot of people there. He'd met the team already so he knew who they were, but he hadn't met their families and from the sounds of it, they'd all be there. _Kids_, she'd said. That made Spencer's stomach clench. There would be other kids there. That was just a recipe for trouble. Getting along with adults was a risk on a good day. These adults he at least knew had already met him and hadn't seemed all that bothered before, though there was no telling how they'd react now that he was in their home area and under the control of one of their own. But meeting and getting along with kids was always a dangerous thing. _Always_. Kids didn't like him. Kids also weren't afraid to reach out and remove his sunglasses, or to say all the things that most adults just thought when they saw him. While adults were capable of causing lots of pain, Spencer knew from firsthand experience that children could be extremely cruel without any real effort.

It never once occurred to Spencer to say that he didn't want to go. It didn't even cross his mind to tell anyone just how afraid he was. He just rode silently with Penelope once she was ready and he stayed silent the entire ride over. Even when they pulled up outside of this nice home, he kept his voice locked inside and his hands in his pockets. Penelope had sensed his tension and she'd allowed him the silence he'd seemed to want so badly.

There were people in the front yard when the two pulled up. Spencer recognized JJ, Dave and Derek all there talking and laughing while a young boy, no more than five, ran around them laughing and flying a plastic airplane in his hand. They all looked up when Penelope pulled up. Because of how his head was bowed, his hair screening his face, Spencer missed the smiles that came when they climbed out of the car. He missed the way that Derek lit up at the sight of him. But he did hear the warmth in the man's voice when he called out "Spencer!"

That warmth threw Spencer off balance. He froze on the small yard beside Penelope, sneaking a glance up as Derek strolled right up to him, broad smile on his face. The man didn't reach out to him, though even Spencer could recognize the aborted move for what it was, but he stopped at Spencer's side and his smile was just as warm and welcoming and there was that light in his eyes that Spencer still couldn't quite figure out, yet it always left him feeling warm in those cold places in his heart he'd thought had long frozen over.

No real words were exchanged between them beside that first initial call of Spencer's name and yet when Spencer looked up, he felt their eyes lock even through his sunglasses, and that look with all that was in it, that was enough. It said so much more than any words and it eased a bit of tension that Spencer hadn't even realized he had. How was it that this FBI agent he still only barely knew could manage to not only say so many things with just a look, _positive things_, but he also somehow seemed to understand Spencer's need to not have words for everything. Words could be truth or lie. People lied all the time and Spencer had learned that lesson the hard way. People lied with their mouths, their words, even their actions, but there were things that gave away the truth if you knew how to look. A look in their eyes, a sense of the spirit in them, a shift in their bodies, those were all things Spencer used to gauge a person, and every one of those parts of Derek were currently showing things that had Spencer's body relaxing a bit.

When Derek gestured with his head towards the crowd, Spencer fell into step beside him, not even noticing that he stood just a little closer than normal.

They made their way back to the group and JJ and Dave both said their hellos. Then the little boy came barreling over, running almost smack into JJ's leg, and laughter echoed through the yard. Not looking the least bit bothered by the attack, JJ put a hand on the boy's head, smoothing back his hair in a gesture that had Spencer swallowing down the lump in his throat. Her voice was full of maternal love when she said "Spence, this is my son, Henry."

The little boy stepped away from his mom's side and right up to Spencer. Reaching out, he caught the hem of Spencer's shirt and gave a few tugs. Immediately Spencer shifted his body down into a crouching position. Between one breath and the next he found himself completely and utterly charmed by the sweet looking young boy who tipped his head up and smiled brightly at him. "Wanna come play with my dinosaurs? I gots _lots_! I can share."

The smile that curved Spencer's lips was the softest that anyone there had ever seen. The adults all stood and watched as Henry did what no one else had been able to do so far. With just a smile and a few words he both charmed and relaxed the teen. Everything about Spencer softened and warmed in ways that they hadn't seen. "I'd love to."

A small hand slid into Spencer's and everyone saw him startle at that touch. He didn't let go, though, as he would've done with any of them. Instead, he carefully folded his hand around Henry's and he let himself he pulled over to the side of the yard where a small plastic playset and bunch of dinosaurs were waiting. The adults watched Spencer carefully fold himself to sit directly on the ground without hesitation when Henry stopped. JJ's lips curved up when she watched her son start one of his familiar rambles about the dinosaurs in his hands. She'd heard it all countless times, had read the books over and over until she swore she knew more about dinosaurs than she'd ever wanted to, and she knew just how Henry could get going on it all. How he'd get so excited his words would start to trip and stumble, the vocabulary of a five year old not always sufficient to explain what he wanted to say, leaving him sometimes babbling things that didn't really make sense to anyone except him. Yet as she watched, she saw that Spencer never once seemed to grow frustrated with the increasingly quick speech, the stumbled words or even the occasional made up word when Henry couldn't pronounce the one he wanted. Spencer just sat there and held out a hand, dutifully taking each toy as it was handed to him, showing each one the proper appreciation before moving on to the next.

"Would you look at that." Dave said with good humor. "I do believe Henry's made a new friend."

"He's good with him. Most teenagers wouldn't want to play with a five year old." JJ said.

They all watched as Henry made one of his dinosaurs roar loudly and Spencer pretended to lean back, looking properly impressed by the roar. Though they could hear some of the excited babble from Henry, Spencer's voice was just a low little murmur in the air, barely even there. Whatever he said made Henry's face light up, though, and JJ's heart warmed at the full bellied laugh that Henry let out.

Derek wasn't watching the way that Henry lit up. He watched and gave his own smile at the relaxed look that Spencer wore. This was the most relaxed that he'd seen Spencer since he'd first met the boy. The warmth on the youth's face, the softness of his smile, all left Derek with a warm feeling that he couldn't quite explain, one that he didn't know that all father's felt when looking on their children.

The front door opened, interrupting them all, and Will poked his head out to smile at the crowd. "Dinner's ready, guys."

Turning to the kids, JJ called out "Henry, Spencer, dinner!"

It made everyone smile to see that Henry once more locked his hand over Spencer's. The usually touch shy youth allowed it once again, letting Henry pull him across the lawn. The closer they got to everyone, the more tense Spencer became, but he let Henry lead him right up to the group and right up to Will. "Daddy!" Henry called out, pulling Spencer forward even more. "Daddy, Spencer and I are hungry!"

A few chuckles spread around the group at that announcement. Though Spencer's expression had closed off again when they got close, a faint smile touched his lips now. Will just grinned down at his son and gave Spencer an amused look. "Is that so? Well, good thing we got plenty of food. Go on an show your new friend where to wash up now, little man."

Without hesitation, Henry pulled Spencer inside, making the adults all chuckle once more. "Poor Spencer." JJ said teasingly, leading her friends inside. "I don't think he realizes quite what he's getting into. Once Henry latches on, he doesn't exactly let go easily."

* * *

><p>Her words proved true. For the rest of the night, Henry stayed latched on to Spencer. Not that it was a bad thing. The boy's clinginess seemed to set Spencer at ease far more than he normally would've been. This dinner had been planned not only as a way to relax after the case, but as a way for Derek to slowly get his young charge a little more comfortable around the people who were going to be very much a part of their lives. It seemed to be working out better than he'd hoped for. Oh, Spencer still avoided the adults, there was no denying that. But Henry kept him from hiding too much. Well, him and Jack.<p>

Once Henry had taken Spencer inside and the two had washed up, the little boy had wasted no time in introducing Spencer to Jack. Not long after that, the three were seated together in the living room at the coffee table, their plates in front of them. It took everything JJ had not to grab her camera when she saw Henry wait for Spencer to sit down and then, without hesitation, pull his arm out of the way so there was just enough room for him to slip in and plop down right in Spencer's lap. The shock on Spencer's face was clear for anyone to see, as was the way he softened when Henry settled in and turned his attention to his food. The little boy was completely content in the lap of his new friend, assured with all the faith of his five years that this big kid was safe and someone that he could trust, because his Mommy said it was okay and Mommy was always right about _everything_. Jack settled in at Spencer's side, too old to try and climb on him like Henry did, but young enough to be slightly drawn to the easy-going teen. Especially when Spencer started to tell the two some story or another.

"I never would've pegged him at being so good with kids." Aaron said from his spot at the table, discreetly watching his son interacting with Spencer.

The adults had gathered together at the large kitchen table, far enough away that a low conversation could be kept private if they were careful, but close enough to be able to watch the kids.

"I got the impression he and other kids don't typically get along." Emily chimed in.

Will sat back in his seat, his mug cradled between his hands, and smiled as he watched this new young man somehow, without any seeming effort, convince Henry to take a bite of the broccoli on his plate, a vegetable that had been a cause for war in this household on more than one occasion. "Well now, Henry aint just any kid." He drawled out, smile growing a little. "Haven't found anyone yet that can hold out against him."

"Little kids are more open, more accepting." Penelope said.

Derek nodded his agreement. "It's the older kids that would cause trouble." But little kids, from the looks of it, were no trouble at all.

While the rest of the table continued to talk in low voices, moving on to other various subjects, Derek kept himself back a little and just watched the interaction between the kids. And whether Spencer would like that description or not, he was a _kid_ still in Derek's eyes, for many reasons. In many ways, though, he was an adult, too. That ancient look those dark eyes could get sometimes flashed through Derek's mind. He had never met someone so young who could manage to look so old. Watching him like this, it was a crazy mix of the two. There was a hint of the child in the way that Spencer smiled at Henry and Jack, or in the way he'd played outside with those dinosaurs, and yet it was all tempered with the adult that he'd been forced to become. There was a patience in what he did or said with Henry that usually only parents had. It showed in how they played together, in the way that Spencer was gently coaxing Henry to eat pretty much everything on his plate, and even some of the things off of Spencer's plate. That brought a small grimace to Derek's features. Spencer wasn't really eating. He didn't eat near as often as Derek would like him to. He was still too cautious.

That caution showed even now. Though Spencer looked totally focused on Henry, there were little things that gave away his tension. Even with the sunglasses on it wasn't hard to tell that his eyes darted over to the adults frequently. He was keeping his eye on them. He'd also chosen his seat at the coffee table rather deliberately. Furthest away from the adults, close to an exit, with plenty in between them and him that would give him more time to rise and make an escape.

It was little things like those that reminded Derek that no matter how much he hoped Spencer was relaxing in, and no matter how it may look like he was making himself at home, the young man still firmly believed that none of this was going to last and he was always watching and waiting for something to come along and screw it all up. It only served to make Derek more determined to make sure that nothing happened. Not to his boy, not anymore.

* * *

><p><em>Now I know this wasn't long, mes amis, an sorry about that. I've just had some serious stuff in my life lately that's a bit difficult to handle. It's made my writing a little slow but I'm trying to get back into this. For those of my readers that've been around for a while with me, y'all know I do this periodically anyways. I write for a while, every day to every other day updates, then a short break where I write really slow, then back to fast. So just bear with me and it'll pick back up! An if you want, check me out on Facebook under Jay Foret and you can get sneak peeks to chapters as well as updates to let you know when things are going slow or when you can expect new chapters. Thanks so much for your patience, my lovelies! Let me know what you think of the chapter and what chapter theme you'd like to see next!<em>


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